Luckily, winter fever has just hit our house. With two great days in weather back to back, it may be enough to buy the Cable kids some more time before spring is officially here. Even more lucky is that a day of great weather fell on a Friday--no preschool and no community college.
Fridays are my official play days with the kids and I typically can let everything else on the to-do list slide into the next week. I knew I had to get them out of the house today. When Austin loses his cool with the kids (as in last night), then everyone knows it's been a rough one. So I had no plan other than to air out the systems of two lil' kids.
We started at the library. Down in the valley where we live, it's not outside weather anyway until at least noon and I couldn't wrangle with them another morning inside. They can handle the library while using library manners for about 30 minutes. Check and check. Jay Jay the Jet Plane DVD was also available to us at the library. Check.
Off to Wendy's. I've learned that Leila must be kept full at all times if major melt downs want to be avoided. Once the melt down begins, nothing, not even the food she wants or needs, lures her back to calm-ville. It's only 11 a.m. My mind was racing with the different options for getting them outside and keeping them relatively dry, as everything is covered with mud and wet.
I remembered the $2.50 I had spent at Wal-Mart on the extra large sand shovel and rake that was in my trunk. I wondered about the best spot for busting them out.... The kids were in the back seat, half eating chicken nuggets and half asleep. We pulled into the land we love, the land we call home, and wound our way down into the valley--where in February the best place to catch the full noon day sun is at the beach.
The beach... in February. No customers, no geese, no summer pool yet. Nothing but vast openness of sand and little rocks--heaven for Cable kids. Again lucky-- Leila was wearing her water boots. The kids had no idea what we were driving to the beach to do. The best part-- what we were to do was totally up to us to create. Sometimes this can be rare for us at Austin Lake.
They had never experienced large sand toys, no other humans to share with, and an extra plot of land to play on because the water is still at winter pool. Heaven. Seriously. We captured 45 solid minutes of straight sunshine to our faces. We collected five crustacean shells for Gage to take to school. We investigated leaves as we watched them sail over the spillway. We made race tracks and farm fields that are ready for 'planting.' We threw about 200 rocks into the water... a 'sploosh' made every time. We learned and saw up close what happens as ice melts away from its massive winter sheet. I said over 300 times, at least, "Leila get out of the water!" She turned to me every time and smiled--half out of daring orneriness and half out of gratitude to have been given that much latitude.
They have grown in a blink. They will be swimming on their own, going off on their bikes on their own, and finding new friends at the lake to play with other than mom. I can't believe how quickly one season can change a baby into a toddler and a toddler into a boy. Here's to spring to come-- so glad I've not yet committed myself to full-time work. Richness is in the youth that surrounds me.
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